No, I don't own any Inu-Yasha characters...all rights to Rumiko Takahashi...yadayada...you know the drill.

*** = different time period/place

Read and review! ^____^;; my first fic, be nice! XD

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Inu-Yasha stood next to a stone well and craned his neck over the top, yelling at a girl who had just jumped down the well.

"See you in two days!" yelled Kagome, the girl that was now on the other side of the well.

"You had better come back in two days, you hear?! Don't make me come after you!" Inu-Yasha yelled back.

"Oh Inu-Yasha, lighten up already," said a small, boyish voice.

"Hmph. Shut up, Shippo," Inu-Yasha shot back, pouting. He walked off into the forest and sat beneath a tree in full bloom. It was spring-time, and the smell of flowers floated through the air.

"Where'd she go, anyway?" asked Shippo.

"That dumb math-em-at-ics stuff," he said, quite disgusted. He folded his arms in front of his chest. "I keep telling her that if she stayed here, she wouldn't have to do these 'exams'. She told me herself she doesn't enjoy them, so why she is so eager to leave and take them is beyond me."

Shippo sighed sadly. "Now that Kagome's gone, I'm stuck with you for two days."

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing."

Inu-Yasha grabbed the little fox demon by the tail and held him in the air.

"Hey! Lemme go!"

"You know, I don't ask for company, so I don't understand why you're complaining," Inu-Yasha said, sighing as he let Shippo go.

"I wish Kagome were here," Shippo muttered, keeping his distance from Inu-Yasha's grasp.

***

Kagome carefully climbed out of the well and entered her own time, heaving the heavy backpack from her back. She dropped it on the ground with a thud when the door of the shrine opened.

"Kagome!" said her brother happily.

"Hey Sota, what's up?" Kagome said, carrying her bag again and walking up into the house.

"Nothing. Grandpa just finished telling your friends that you have SARS is all."

"Grr! GRANDPA!" shouted Kagome as she entered the house. "Can't you just say I have a cold?!"

"Kagome! You're home! Good. I was running out of diseases," he replied.

"Well, you just made up a darn good one," she said, going upstairs into her room. She sighed as she entered her room. 'Home sweet home...' she thought. She sat at her desk and took out five different books. "I've GOT to study...now!"

***

Kagome woke, with the yellow-orange sunlight in her eyes, and an imprint of a notebook spiral spine dug into her cheek.

"Fell asleep...at my desk..." She rubbed her eyes and felt the imprint of her cheek. "Oh perfect..." She got up and left her room to go to the bathroom. Looking at herself in the mirror, she ran her fingertips down her branded cheek. "Ugh...bed head and this stupid thing on my cheek!"

As she looked at herself carefully, she couldn't help but see someone else in her own reflection. "Kikyo..." she said softly. She sighed and thought to herself, 'I wonder...Inu-Yasha must see her too...when he looks at me...it must bring back bad memories...my face..." She grew sad, and felt the presence of someone near her. Out of the corner of her eye she saw a figure in the open window. She grabbed the only thing near her hand -- toothpaste.

She pivoted on her foot, and in the blink of an eye she shrieked and squirted the entire contents of the toothpaste bottle onto the strange figure. To her horror, she saw the figure of Inu-Yasha, his face now covered in white toothpaste.

"Oh," said Kagome, relieved. "It's just you, Inu-Yasha."

Inu-Yasha wiped the toothpaste off his face. "Just me?!" he said, still wiping the white stuff off his face and onto his red sleeve. "What IS this stuff?!"

"Toothpaste," said Kagome.

"You paste your teeth? What kind of era do you live in?"

"You put toothpaste on a toothbrush. You brush your teeth and the toothpaste make your breath minty and..."

"So you SQUIRTED it at ME?!"

"Sorry! It's only been ONE day, I thought you were back in your time, I didn't know it was you!"

"Yeah, right."

"Grr...SIT!"

Inu-Yasha's eyes grew wide as his necklace reacted and he fell face first into the ground outside with a thud.

"Don't come back until AFTER the exam!!"

"...wench...I'll get--"

"SIT!"

***

Kagome stared at the dancing flames of the fire. The fire reflected onto her face and gave it an orange tint. She felt the fire's warmth on her face, and once again she thought of Kikyo. She could feel Inu-Yasha's eyes on her, probably angry. She came back through the well after her exam, and ever since Inu-Yasha looked at her angrily.

'Mad about the toothpaste thing...' she thought.

She couldn't help but wonder if Inu-Yasha saw Kikyo's face when he looked at her, just as Kagome saw her whenever she looked in the mirror. Shippo was happily cooking marshmallows when Kagome stood up. He looked up at her with big, curious eyes.

"Kagome, where are you going?" he asked as the marshmallow on his wooden stick burnt.

"I feel like taking a walk," she replied. "Better watch your marshmallow, Shippo."

She turned to leave and felt Inu-Yasha's suspicious eyes on her. She ignored it and walked to the well. The well gave her comfort, knowing she could see Inu-Yasha whenever she wanted as well as her family.

"Leaving?" said a voice.

She knew it was Inu-Yasha. "Tell me," she said suddenly, "what you see in my face, when you look at me." She turned around to face him.

"What?" he asked. "I see a wench who had better not leave."

"Inu-Yasha, be serious!"

"I am."

"No you're NOT!"

There was an awkward silence. Inu-Yasha had a dumbfounded look on his face as Kagome sighed.

"What are you going on about?" he asked.

"Do you..." she said quietly, "...do you ever...see Kikyo when you look at me?"

There was another period of silence, but this time Inu-Yasha sighed. He turned his head to the black sky, sparkling with stars.

"Sometimes," he began. "You look a lot like her. Yet...you're not her. Sometimes...I look at you and see Kikyo...wha? WHY ARE YOU CRYING?!"

Tears sprang into Kagome's eyes. "It's just...thanks...for being honest..." and she sat down.

"AND YOU'RE CRYING OVER THAT?!"

Kagome became annoyed and growled. "I WASN'T crying!"

"Yes you were!"

"I was crying out of frustration!"

"Frustration?!"

"NEVER MIND! I WASN'T CRYING!"

"But you just said....!!" Inu-Yasha watched as Kagome slumped over into the grass, closing her eyes.

"When I look in the mirror sometimes...I see Kikyo in my face...I was only wondering, if looking at me brought back bad memories or something."

Inu-Yasha gave a deep sigh as he walked over to her. "No. I know you're not Kikyo, believe me." The 'believe me' bit was muttered under his breath, but he said more seriously, "I know you're not her. You're Kagome."

Kagome smiled and sighed as she fell asleep. Inu-Yasha watched as she dreamt, and spoke softly to himself.

"You're perfect."

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Ok, I wrote another chapter for you all! Go read! [Sorry it took a little bit ^^;;]